2 September 2015
UNDP Partners Promote Human Rights Approach to Water Management
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The UN Development Programme (UNDP), in collaboration with partners, has produced a manual describing a human-rights-based approach to integrated water resources management (IWRM).

The publication was launched during World Water Week in Stockholm, Sweden.

undp_water_lex25 August 2015: The UN Development Programme (UNDP), in collaboration with partners, has produced a manual describing a human-rights-based approach to integrated water resources management (IWRM). The publication was launched during World Water Week in Stockholm, Sweden.

Four partners collaborated to produce the manual: the UNDP Water Governance Facility at the Stockholm International Water Institute (SIWI); the UNDP network for capacity development in sustainable water management network known as Cap-Net; the REDICA network of engineering institutions in Central America; and WaterLex, a Switzerland-based association for the improvement of water governance.

Tobias Schmitz, WaterLex, said the manual is a world first in describing a human rights approach to IWRM in detail. He noted that many river basins face increasing water scarcity and pollution issues, giving rise to questions of how to administer justice in providing a balanced allocation of water to competing uses. Schmitz emphasized the UN system’s recognition of water as a human right, and the possibility of introducing minimum standards for justice in IWRM.

Elodie Tranchez, WaterLex, reflected on an expert meeting convened by the UN Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC) on 14 July 2015, on the formulation of water policies and laws in Central and South America. At the meeting, representatives from Argentina, Chile, Costa Rica, Ecuador, Honduras, Mexico, Paraguay and Peru presented new water policies or laws in their countries. Tranchez observed trends in the region including: recognition of the human right to water and sanitation; increased awareness of the need for public participation in water management and ecosystem preservation; and increased use of IWRM. She called for better monitoring of implementation of water laws and policies in the region. [WaterLex Webpage on Manual Launch] [WaterLex Programme on a Human Rights-Based Approach to IWRM] [UNDP CapNet Website]


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